Palimpsests

A palimpsest is a manuscript or surface that has been reused, typically by scraping or washing off the original writing to make space for new text. Historically, this was common with parchment or vellum to save valuable materials. Over time, the older underlayer can sometimes be uncovered or revealed through modern techniques like multispectral imaging. Symbolically, a palimpsest also refers to something that contains layers of history or memory, illustrating how new elements are built upon or obscure previous ones. It highlights the layered complexity of history, texts, or physical surfaces.